"Then We Shall Fight in the Shade"

I thought of you Frankie when I chose this picture of Gerard Butler, aka, 'Leonidis' - fearless Greek King of the Spartans, from the movie "300". Knowing our mutual admiration for such that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and which warrants significant anatomical discussion...lol...I thought Gerard would be a good candidate for your 'hot files'.

Anthony had already seen the movie and said that there were alot of fighting, ripped men who went through a gruelling training program to achieve these amazing bodies with washboard abs. I had been thinking of hiring out the DVD for some time, and after this critique, I thought "hell yeah!...abs...ripped men...fighting...I'm in!" Oh...and honour, loyalty, bravery and all that too of course. :)

Anyway...I've decided this is my latest 'favourite movie'. It's not just about the bodies, though that's definitely a big attraction. It's different - It's artistic...brutal...surreal.

It's about the ideals...bravery, loyalty, absolute single-mindedness in the pursuit of superior physical and mental prowess...a way of life where fighting for, and defending your ideals, even if it means losing your life, is the ultimate honour and sacrifice.

I know that today of course, in this time and country anyway, that is not a reality, but hey...I'm an idealist (and a realist where it counts). This is the stuff dreams are made of, and I'm not ashamed to say that this sought of stuff IS the stuff of my dreams and I really get off on it (metaphorically speaking). These sought of ideals are what motivates me to train harder, do better and to persist, even when the normal person out there on the street thinks I'm crazy and maybe a little too fanatical.

Hey...I'm not even halfway there yet (on the road to fanatical). Now if I lost my husband, friends, family, all in the name of my dreams, then that would make me fanatical, and I'm not about to do that. I do believe in achieving balance, which includes happiness and harmony and being at peace with the world, while still pursuing the best me I can be.

Talking about Spartans and Leonidis, I found this essay, and stumbled across this part of the essay which I think says alot about us humans. And that is, in spite of our foibles, we still have this amazing ability to overcome.

"Perhaps one of the most inspiring accounts of the fearlessness of the Spartans was when they were threatened with Persian arrows so numerous as to "blot out the sun", one among their number replied simply, "Then we shall fight in the shade." Spartan bravery is almost self-evident, and their wit commendable, but there is a very deep, philosophical element to this retort. Popular knowledge has it that when asked the secret to success, billionaire Howard Hughes replied cryptically, "Inch toward daylight". Upon first hearing this, I scoffed and shook my head, but now I realise that perseverance and dedication are the core of success, and who better an example of this than the Spartans?

And as I keep those words in mind, "Inch towards daylight," I realise that fighting in the shade is exactly what this implies - that even in the darkest of moments, one must fight and struggle towards the light, because when you stop fighting, the battle is lost, but never before."

- Mike Sowell